COUNTY NEWS: Man turns home into spaceship

Ken Humphreys, a biblical scholar from Anscombe Close, in West Worthing, puts on a themed bash for friends every two years. This year’s event takes inspiration from science fiction TV and films, including Star Trek, District 9, and Flash Gordon. Ken and 12 friends started work on the project six months ago. The 69-year-old said: “I do it for the joy of being alive. The world is full of misery, and I am quite a serious scholar, but to me, life is all about having fun.” Guests entering the house will find aliens from Mars Attacks! and Robbie the Robot greeting them on entry. They are then guided through an alien planet with a crashed space shuttle, before entering a deadly greenhouse full of man-eating triffids. There is also a built-in time machine, UFO smoking area, and the Lust in Space Lounge, based on various space cantinas. Dudley Sawer, 63, a friend of Ken’s who helped with the work, said: “We just got a chance to work on our favourite scenes. We work as a crew. It is like theatre, and we are actors on a stage. “This man has found ways of working with cardboard you wouldn’t believe.” This is the seventh themed experience Ken has hosted, with previous years including Pirates of the Caribbean, Arabian Nights, and Camelot. Leslie Jones, another friend, added: “It gets more extravagant every time.” Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! Always the first with your local news. Be part of it.